First Look Inside Hampton by Hilton Manchester City Centre as SpaceInvader Reveals Public Area Designs

A double-height hotel reception space featuring a sculptural staircase, a circular bar and pendant lighting. The interior blends industrial architecture with soft finishes for a high-footfall hospitality setting.

In a city known for its layered industrial heritage and bold urban evolution, designing a hotel that reflects both local identity and global hospitality standards requires more than surface-level style. At SpaceInvader, we believe great hospitality design starts with people — how they move, gather, rest and connect. And nowhere is that more crucial than in the public areas of a hotel.

The Hampton by Hilton Manchester City Centre, located at 325 Deansgate, is set to be Europe’s largest Hampton by Hilton. With 358 rooms spread over 22 storeys, it occupies a key location in Manchester’s Castlefield district, where red-brick railway arches, canal networks and new skyscrapers meet. Our interior design concept for the hotel’s public areas is deeply rooted in this layered context.

The site itself is rich with inspiration. Castlefield is an intersection of waterways, Victorian viaducts and industrial-era infrastructure. Our design draws on these elements, using exposed brick, cracked bronze, poured concrete floors and timber plank mezzanines to evoke the area's resilient past. But this is balanced by softness: tactile upholstery, biophilic references and warm lighting flows throughout, creating a sense of ease in spaces designed to handle high volumes of guests.

A vaulted dining area beneath restored red brick arches, with banquette seating, warm lighting and tactile materials that combine historic character with modern comfort.

Rather than impose a single aesthetic, we focused on rhythm and flow — shaping spaces that transition naturally from openness to intimacy. From the double-height entrance bar with its sweeping staircase to the vaulted arches that house dining and lounge areas, every zone is layered to support comfort and movement.

Public areas in large-scale hotels have a demanding job. They must be welcoming, durable, brand-aligned and intuitive to navigate. Working closely with Hilton, Assured CMS and Dean Street Developments, our team approached the interiors with both strategy and sensitivity.

The vaulted arches, formerly part of the area’s Victorian infrastructure, now serve as social anchors — blending the old and the new, the industrial and the crafted. Joinery details, lighting design and zoning strategies were carefully curated to create a cohesive experience, while still allowing for flexibility of use.

Each material was selected not just for its aesthetic quality but for how it performs in a real hospitality setting. From robust leather upholstery to bespoke tiled bar fronts and layered acoustic textures, the design is tuned to the operational needs of a busy, urban hotel.

An elevated lounge and bar zone framed by an arched structure, with layered lighting, rich upholstery and curved detailing to create an intimate, welcoming guest experience.

What sets this project apart is not just its scale, but its sense of place. At every stage, the goal was to reflect Manchester’s identity through form, texture and tone. The result is a hospitality environment that feels both rooted and refined, a design that honours the site's past while supporting the needs of contemporary travellers.

As one of the UK’s leading hospitality design studios, SpaceInvader brings a people-first, context-aware approach to every project. The public areas at Hampton by Hilton Manchester City Centre showcase what’s possible when craft, clarity and cultural insight come together.

More design insights from this landmark project will be shared soon.

Project Team:

Client: Hilton | Dean Street Developments | Assured CMS

Architecture: SimpsonHaugh

Engineering: Eckersley O’Callaghan

For more on how we approach hospitality design, explore our recent projects here.